Motorized Liquid Dispenser

ABSTRACT

A beverage dispenser comprises a bottle holder, a motor, and a controller. The bottle holder is configured to hold a bottle of a liquid beverage. The motor is connected to the bottle holder and configured to move the bottle holder in an angular movement to bring the bottle into a pouring position. The controller is configured to control the bottle holder via the motor in a set pattern to dispense a portion of the liquid beverage from the bottle into a serving receptacle. The liquid beverage may be wine, and the serving receptacle may be a wine glass. The liquid beverage may be liquor, and the serving receptacle may be a shot glass. The portion of the liquid may be an amount of liquid to fill the receptacle to a designated level. The portion of the liquid beverage is less than the entire capacity of the bottle.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of the U.S. non-provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 14/397,089 filed Oct. 24, 2014 which claims thebenefit to International PCT/US2013/038297/filed on Apr. 25, 2013 whichclaims the benefit of the provisional patent application No. 61/687,530filed on Apr. 25, 2012, which are all hereby incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to automatically or semi-automaticallydispensing liquid from one container to another. More particularly, thisdisclosure related to an apparatus for automatically orsemi-automatically dispensing a serving of a beverage from a containerto a serving receptacle using an electric motor.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Pivotable supports have been used for many years to facilitatedispensing liquid from containers, from very small bottles of wine anddistilled liquors as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,047 by Bersano, tolarge barrels of gasoline or oil as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,755,745by Parr.

Prior art in dispensing small bottles is in the area for decanting ofwines such as the manual process using a hand crank and pulleys, gears,or friction as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,047 by Bersano, orserving wines using a knob on the pivotal device disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 6,889,945B2 by McCall. Both methods rely on the individual or serverto pour the proper portion of liquid into the glass or container.Wiemholt discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 7,708,241 B2 automating the winedecanting process using a tilting process where the entire bottle isdispensed into a container.

There is also prior art using pumps such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,435,421 issued to Morrison, or pressurized gas disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,139,179 by Cecil. Additionally, there are many gravity-fedsystems, where the bottle is placed upside down with the opening on thebottom and a manual valve controls the liquid. Automating the process isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,598 by Slagle.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates to an apparatus for dispensing liquid from onecontainer to another automatically. The liquid may be a consumablebeverage, such as, for example, wine, water, juice, milk, beer, nectar,syrup, honey, soda, liquor, or the like, or mixtures of the foregoing.

According to one embodiment, a beverage dispenser comprises a bottleholder, a motor, and a controller. The bottle holder is configured tohold a bottle of a liquid beverage. The motor is connected to the bottleholder and configured to move the bottle holder in an angular movementto bring the bottle into a pouring position. The controller isconfigured to control the bottle holder via the motor in a set patternto dispense a portion of the liquid beverage from the bottle into aserving receptacle.

Some optional aspects of this embodiment include the following. Theliquid beverage may be wine, and the serving receptacle may be a wineglass. The liquid beverage may be liquor, and the serving receptacle maybe a shot glass. The bottle holder may be a container, which may beinsulated. Alternatively, the bottle holder may be a wired cage. Themotor be an electric motor. The controller may be selected from thegroup consisting of, for example, a computer, a microcontroller, andcontrol circuitry. The set pattern may comprise angular positions of thebottle holder over time. The portion of the liquid may be an amount ofliquid to fill the receptacle to a designated level. The portion of theliquid beverage is less than the entire capacity of the bottle. Thebeverage dispenser may further comprise a temperature sensor configuredto monitor the temperature of the bottle.

Optionally, the beverage dispenser may further comprise a sensorconfigured to detect presence of the receptacle in a position to acceptthe beverage poured from the bottle, and the controller may be furtherconfigured to dispense a portion of the beverage from the bottle intothe receptacle when the receptacle is detected via the sensor. Thesensor may be selected from a group consisting of, for example, a weightsensor, a switch, a photo detector sensor, a motion sensor, a distancesensor, and a force sensor.

Optionally, the beverage dispenser may further comprise a wirelessreceiver configured to accept signals from a remote device, and thecontroller may be connected to the wireless receiver to accept a commandfrom the remote device. The remote device may be selected from a groupconsisting of, for example, a handheld computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. The command may be a command to dispense a serving of thebeverage into the serving receptacle.

Optionally, the beverage dispenser may further comprise a movableplatform having a plurality of positions for a respective plurality ofserving receptacles, and a motor connected to the movable platform andconfigured to move the movable platform to position each of theplurality of serving receptacles into a position to accept the a portionof the beverage poured from the bottle. The controller may be connectedto the motor and further configured to move the movable platform toposition each of the plurality of serving receptacles into a position toaccept a portion of the beverage poured from the bottle. The movableplatform may be a turntable.

According to another embodiment, a method comprises mechanicallyaccepting and holding a bottle containing a beverage, and automaticallyor semi-automatically moving the bottle in an angular movement from afirst position to a second position, wherein the first position is aposition maintaining the beverage within the bottle, and the secondposition is a pouring position to cause a portion of the beverage topour into a serving receptacle.

Optionally, the beverage may be wine, and the serving receptacle may bea wine glass. Alternatively, the beverage may be liquor, and the servingreceptacle may be a shot glass. The step of moving the bottle maycomprise moving the bottle by a predetermined angle over a predeterminedtime. The portion of the beverage may be an amount to fill the servingreceptacle to a designated level. The method may further comprisesensing presence of the receptacle in a position to accept the beveragepoured from the bottle, and the moving step may be performed in responseto sensing presence of the receptacle in a position to accept thebeverage poured from the bottle. The method may further comprisereceiving a wireless signal from a remote device, and the moving stepmay be performed in response to receipt of the wireless signal. Theremote device may be selected from a group consisting of, for example, ahandheld computer, a tablet, or a smart phone. The method may furthercomprise monitoring the temperature of the bottle. The method mayfurther comprise automatically or semi-automatically moving a pluralityof serving receptacles into position to accept a portion of the beveragepoured from the bottle. The portion of the beverage is less than theentire capacity of the bottle.

According to yet another embodiment, a beverage pouring apparatuscomprises means for accepting and holding a bottle containing abeverage, and means for at least semi-automatically moving the bottle inan angular movement from a first position to a second position, whereinthe first position is a position maintaining the beverage within thebottle, and the second position is a pouring position to cause a portionof the beverage to pour into a serving receptacle. The means foraccepting and holding a bottle containing a beverage may comprise acontainer, frame, or any other mechanism. The means for at leastsemi-automatically moving the bottle may comprise an electric ornon-electric motor in combination with a controller, such as computer,microcontroller, or circuitry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the apparatus showing thepouring action.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a controller circuit.

FIG. 3 is a programmed sequence showing time and corresponding angularpositions.

FIG. 4 is a set of graphs of the programmed sequence with angularpositions vs. time.

FIG. 5A is an isometric view of a hobby servo motor.

FIG. 5B is an isometric view of a motor control system.

FIG. 5C is an isometric view of a stepper motor.

FIG. 6A is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatus with agallon container.

FIG. 6B is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatus with along bottle.

FIG. 6C is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatus with ashort bottle.

FIG. 6D is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatus with abottle and container as one unit.

FIG. 7A is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatus withbrackets holding the container.

FIG. 7B is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatus with gearsmoving the container.

FIG. 8 is a side view of different heights and sizes of bottles.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the different bottles with different lengthpouring spouts attached.

FIG. 10A is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatus showingdifferent placements of the glass.

FIG. 10B is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatusillustrating an insert within the container.

FIG. 11 is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatusillustrating two methods for accommodating the different heights ofglasses.

FIG. 12A is a side view of the container of the apparatus with a vacuum.

FIG. 12B is a side view of the container of the apparatus with aninsulated jacket insert.

FIG. 12C is an isometric view of the container of the apparatusconsisting of wired cage.

FIG. 12D is a top view of the container made as cradle.

FIG. 13 is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatusillustrating a number of features.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a circuit showing a number of attacheditems.

FIG. 15 is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatus using afunnel.

FIG. 16A is a side view of the container mounted at the top of thecontainer.

FIG. 16B is a side view of the container mounted at the center of thecontainer.

FIG. 16C is a side view of the container mounted at the bottom of thecontainer.

FIG. 17 is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatus thatallows for pouring different height glasses.

FIG. 18A is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatus thatincorporate a wired cage as the container.

FIG. 18B is a side view of another embodiment of the apparatus thatincorporate a wheel-type mechanism as the container to hold the bottle.

FIG. 19 is a isometric view of another embodiment of the apparatus thatcan pour the liquid into multiple glasses.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the above-listed drawings, this section describesparticular embodiments and their detailed construction and operation.The embodiments described herein are set forth by way of illustrationonly and not limitation. Those skilled in the art will recognize inlight of the teachings herein that there are alternatives, variationsand equivalents to the example embodiments described herein. Forexample, other embodiments are readily possible, variations can be madeto the embodiments described herein, and there may be equivalents to thecomponents, parts, or steps that make up the described embodiments.

For the sake of clarity and conciseness, certain aspects of componentsor steps of certain embodiments are presented without undue detail wheresuch detail would be apparent to those skilled in the art in light ofthe teachings herein and/or where such detail would obfuscate anunderstanding of more pertinent aspects of the embodiments.

As one skilled in the art will appreciate in view of the teachingsherein, certain embodiments may be capable of achieving certainadvantages, including by way of example and not limitation one or moreof the following: (1) Providing restaurants, bars, cocktail loungebusinesses, and the like a device to automate the process to provide aproper portion of liquid to be poured without error from the servers andwithout pumps or turning bottles upside down; and (2) providing elderly,infirm, weak, handicapped, or incapacitated individuals a device forpouring a portion of a liquid from containers, especially largercontainers such as half or full gallons of milk. These and otheradvantages of various embodiments will be apparent upon reading thefollowing.

Before proceeding with a detailed description of the illustratedembodiments, the following is provided as an overview.

A liquid dispenser having a receptacle or other holder for a bottle ofliquid can rotate the receptacle. The receptacle may be connected to amotor, which may be electric, so that the motor can rotate thereceptacle and therefore, the bottle of liquid. A controller may beprogrammed or otherwise configured to control the motor in a setsequence or pattern to dispense a portion of the liquid from the bottle.The bottle may be rotated to pour the liquid into a glass or othercontainer. Furthermore, the sequence can be initiated via a sensor whichdetects the presence of the glass.

The motorized liquid dispenser contains a first container for holdingthe bottle of liquid and the motor may be connected to the firstcontainer to rotate or move the first container in an angular movementto bring the bottle from one position to a substantially differentposition to enable pouring of the liquid from the bottle. Furthermore, acontroller may be programmed or otherwise configured to control themotor and in turn controls the angular position of the first containerin a set pattern or sequence to dispense a portion of the liquid fromthe bottle in the first container to a second container such as a glassor cup. Furthermore, the initiation of this sequence may be from asensor detecting the second container when place on the apparatus.

The dispenser is well suited for an automated dispensation of wine usinga container to hold the wine bottle. An electric motor may be connectedto the container to move the container and therefore the wine bottle inan angular motion to a pouring position. A controller may be programmedor otherwise configured to control the electric motor in a set patternto dispense a portion of the wine in the bottle to the glass.Furthermore, the initiation of the sequence may be from a sensor thatdetects the glass placement.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like referenced numerals representlike parts throughout the various drawing figures, reference numeral 80is directed to the container for holding the bottle.

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment 100 which dispenses a portion of the liquidinto bottle 86 to the glass 82 automatically as soon glass 82 is placedon the sensor 72. In particular, the bottle 86 of liquid is placed inthe container 80. The bottle 86 may be held in place by the friction ofthe inside of the container or bottle holder 80 or sleeve (not shown) onthe bottle 86. An electric motor 70, in particular, a servo motor, ahobby servo motor, a position-controlled motor, a stepper motor, or amotor-controlled system, controls an angular position beta, β, and anangular rate of change of the container 80 about the pivot point 40 onthe vertical rods 92 (not shown is the second rod on the opposite side).The vertical rods 92 are supported by a base 94. Inside the base 94 isthe controller 50 and a power source 52, which may be batteries,re-chargeable batteries, or an attachment to an external power supply.The controller 50, which is shown in FIG. 2 along with the power source52 in the form of batteries and an on/off switch 56, takes input fromthe glass sensor 72, which detects the glass 82 when placed on the base94 and controls the electric motor 70 according to a stored profile 54in FIG. 3. The glass sensor 72 may be, for example, a weight sensor, aswitch, a photodetector sensor, a motion sensor, a distance sensor, or aforce sensor. The controller 50 can be, for example, a microcontroller,a small computer, or dedicated control circuitry. The stored profile 54contains the angular positions beta p at various time intervals.

FIG. 3 shows, at time t₀, the angular position β₀ is stored; at time t₁,the angular position β₁ is stored; and so on. This profile continuesuntil the final time t_(N) and the angular position β_(N) are stored.The stored profile 54 may be derived from a recorded position of aperson pouring the liquid from the bottle to the glass. The storedprofile is a replica of the recorded position and the controller 50plays back the profile as if it was the original profile.

FIG. 4 shows profiles for a particular bottle 86 being poured intoseveral glasses. Profile 60 represents the recording of the first timethe bottle 86 is poured into the glass 82. Profile 62 is the next pourfor the second glass, profile 64 would be the third glass, and so on. Asshown in FIG. 4, the container 80, and therefore the bottle 86 is in anupright position (vertical position), β=90 degrees referring to thesmall graph in FIG. 1. While the liquid is dispensing into the glass 82,the container 80 and the bottle 86 are near or below horizontalposition, β=0 degrees or less to disperse the liquid from the bottle 86.After pouring a portion of the liquid from the bottle 86, the container80 and bottle return to the vertical position, β=90 degrees or someother inclined position sufficiently upright to hold the remainingcontents of the bottle 86.

FIGS. 5A-C show several different types of electric motors that canprovide precision pours in combination with the controller 50. FIG. 5Aillustrates of one type of motor 170, called a hobby servo motor 270,with an output gear 271, and a 3-pin wire input 273. The wire inputprovides power, ground, and a command signal. Servo motors of this typeprovide different torque and speed ratings for different applications.For pouring a glass of wine from a 750 ml wine bottle or portion of thewine from the 750 ml wine bottle in the previously described in FIG. 1,a typical torque rating of 80 oz-in and a speed rating of 0.2 seconds/60degrees would work fine for a motor 70. For a gallon jug, a highertorque rating would be needed. FIG. 5B illustrates another type of motor175, called a servo motor controlled system which contains an electricmotor 278, a output gear 277, and a feedback sensor 275 such as apotentiometer. The electric motor 278 is driven from a current driver(not shown) via electric connection 285 from the controller. Thecontroller drives the motor output 277 to the proper angular positionbased off of information from the feedback sensor 275. FIG. 5Cillustrates another type of motor 177 called a stepper motor 288, whichrequires a starting position and counts. The controller keeps track ofthe steps in the stepper motor unit. The output gear 297 would drive theangular motion, and the drive capability for the stepper motor 288 isfrom the wired connection 287.

FIG. 6A-6D show different embodiments for different types of bottles.FIG. 6A illustrates embodiment 102 which dispenses liquid from thegallon jug 87 into a cup 83. The controller and operation is similar towhat has been described above but with a different stored profile. FIG.6A shows the container 81 which holds a gallon container 87 which iscontrolled at pivot point 40. The vertical rods 92 support the container87 and the base 94 supports the rods 92 and the cup 83.

FIG. 6B illustrates embodiment 104 in which the container 181 holds along neck bottle 187. In a similar manner, the vertical rod 92 holds thecontainer about the pivot point 40 along the rod axis. The electricmotor (not shown in this figure) controls the angular position of thecontainer 181 to dispense a small portion of the liquid from the bottle187 into a short glass 183. The precision pour would provide the correctportion of liquid typically used in a bar situation. The operation ofdispensing the liquid is similar as described previously, but the storedprofile would be different.

FIG. 6C illustrates an embodiment 106 holding a short bottle 287 withcontainer 281. The short bottle could be a beverage bottle. FIG. 6Dshows the container and bottle 89 as the same unit. In this embodiment108, one would add the liquid into the container 89 prior to dispensing.

FIG. 7A shows an embodiment 110 having a different mechanical mechanismfor holding the container 80. Instead of vertical rods, the container 80pivots on two support brackets 93 and pivot point 42, one on each side.The embodiment 110 contains the brackets 93 along with the electricmotor 70. The bottle 86, glass 82, and base 94 are the same as describedpreviously. FIG. 7B shows the similar bracket 193 as in FIG. 7A but theelectric motor 70 is mounted near the base 94 of the embodiment 112.Gears 171, inside the bracket 193, control the container 80 about thepivot point 42 on the top of the bracket 193.

FIG. 8 shows different lengths, H1,H2, and H3, of particular 750 ml winebottles, 286, 86, and 186, respectively. In order to accommodate thesebottles without building a new fixture, the attachment pouring devicewith different lengths can accommodate the bottle length as shown inFIG. 9. The bottle 286 is the shortest one and uses the longest neckpourer 214. The bottle 186 is the longest and uses the shortest pourer212. The standard length bottle 86 uses the standard pourer 210.

Another method to accommodate the different length bottles 286, 86, and186 is by leaving different pads 182, 282, and 382 on the base 94, asshown in FIG. 10A. For short length bottles such as 286, the pad 182would allow the liquid from the bottle to be dispensed properly byhaving glass 82 on pad 182. Likewise, bottle 86 would be dispensedproperly in same type of glass 82 at pad 282 and bottle 186 would bedispensed properly in similar glass 82 on pad 382 as shown in FIG. 10A.

Another method to accommodate different length bottles is shown in FIG.10B, wherein an embodiment 116 shows different inserts 482 that are usedto accommodate the different length bottles in the container 80.

To accommodate different glass heights, embodiment 118 shows two methodsin FIG. 11 that can be used. Standard height glass 82 is at properheight for bottle 86 to pour the liquid. To accommodate glass 783, onemethod would be to raise the glass 783 by an insert 130 on the base 94.Another method would be to raise or lower the vertical rods 192 or axispoint 44, also shown in FIG. 11. Note that similar sized glasses withina certain range can be easily accommodated by the proper height of theaxis point 44. Beside glasses, one can pour into cups, smaller bottles,serving containers, shot glasses, or flasks.

Since the container would be on a table or counter, the liquid may coolor warm up based on the difference in bottle temperature versus roomtemperature. To minimize this effect, in the embodiments 100-118, thecontainer may contain a vacuum similar to thermos bottles or aninsulated jacket. In FIG. 12A shows a container 180 containing a vacuum120 to keep the temperature of the bottle 86 from changing quickly. FIG.12B shows container 280 with an insulated material 122. FIG. 12C showsan isometric view of the container 480 made from a thick wired cage. Thebottle 86 is placed within the wired cage 480 and a rubber or flexiblematerial ring 489 secures the bottle 86 with the wired cage 480. Thepivot points 47 are shown on the middle section of the wired cage 480.FIG. 12D shows a top view of the container 580 where the bottle 86 liesin the container like a cradle. A rubber or flexible material securesthe bottle 86. The pivot points 49 are shown on the container 580 wherethe unit is rotated.

FIG. 1 shows the basic concept of the embodiment 100. FIG. 13 showsadditional features that can be incorporated into an embodiment 101.FIG. 13 shows another method to accommodate the glass 82 height byutilizing a scissor-type mechanism 310 to raise or lower the glass viaan electric motor. Likewise, the different length bottles can beaccommodated by scissor-type mechanism 300 which raises or lowers thebottle 86. A weight sensor 320 can be used to detect the presence of thebottle 86 and the amount of liquid in the bottle 86. In addition to theglass sensor 72, another method for detecting the glass would be via adistance or object sensor 340. The temperature sensor 330 measures thetemperature of the liquid in bottle 86. LEDs 360 may be mounted on thecontainer 80 as shown in FIG. 13 or on the base 94 (not shown) or rod 92(not shown). A keypad 380 is shown attached to the base 94 and thekeypad 380 can select profiles, modes of operation, bottle types, orglass types. Also shown, a remote control device 400 can be a handheldcomputer, tablet, or smart phone or other smart device for controllingthe operation wirelessly or for selecting similar functions as thekeypad 380, but remotely. FIG. 14 shows the block diagram of the some ofthe input and output devices that the controller 51 that can beimplemented. Input devices, such as weight sensor 320, temperaturesensor 330, bottle detector 362, object sensor 340, glass sensor 72,keypad 380, switch 56, and remote control device 400 are shown in FIG.14. The output devices can be motor to control the scissor-typemechanism 300, an electric motor 70 to control the angle of thecontainer 80, electric motor to control the scissor-type mechanism 310,an electric heater/cooler element 350, and LEDs 360.

FIG. 15 shows another embodiment 103 which uses an additional funnel 116to bring the liquid from the bottle when poured via the controller/motorto the glass 82. Different glasses can be accommodated by adjusting theheight of the funnel via a mechanism 316.

FIG. 16A-C shows three different embodiments 105, 107, and 109,respectively, for different pivot locations. In FIG. 16A, an embodiment105 contains a pivot point 44 that is located on top of the containerwith bracket 195. In FIG. 16B, an embodiment 107 contains a pivot point46 that is located in the center of the container with bracket 193 asshown previously. In FIG. 16C, an embodiment 109 contains a pivot point48 that is located on the lower side of the container with bracket 197.Another embodiment 111 shown in FIG. 17 illustrates how the pivot point44 stays the same but the container 80 rotates from one side to pour thebottle 86 in a shorter glass 82 and on the other side as shown withbottle 86 into a taller glass 183. The base plate 95 would be longer inthis embodiment.

FIG. 18A and FIG. 18B shows other embodiments that utilize a differentmechanism to hold the bottle instead of the vertical rods or bracket tohold the container. In FIG. 18A, embodiment 113 shows the bottle 86 isbeing held in a thick wired cage 780 and the pivot point 43 & motorcombination is on the base 94 to rotate the wired cage. By rotating thewired cage and bottle, the liquid is poured into the glass 82 similarlyas described previously. FIG. 18B shows another embodiment 115 with thepivot point 45 positioned on the wheel carriage 680 which cradles thebottle 86. The base 97 accommodates different glasses such as glass 82by inserts or scissor-type mechanisms as previously described. In FIG.18B, the bottle is rotated with the wheel and therefore, the liquid fromthe bottle 86 is poured into the glass 82.

FIG. 19 illustrates another embodiment 117 which provides for fillingmultiple glasses 183. The container 80 is mounted on vertical rods 92 asdescribed earlier but the vertical rods 92 are mounted on a rotatingplatform 199 installed on a round base 99. The motor 71 rotates therotating platform 199 to the proper glass position and the motor 70controls the portion of liquid poured from the bottle 86. With thisembodiment, the container 80 does not need to return to the full uprightposition but to a position where no more liquid would be poured from thebottle 86. This would expedite the filling of multiple glasses. FIG. 19shows multiple shot glasses 183 on sensor pads 372 which detect thepresence of each glass 183. If the glass is not present, the apparatuswould move onto the next glass that is present. Also, the platform wherethe glasses 183 are placed can rotate and the container 80 and verticalrods 92 are fixed in the round base 99.

According to another embodiment, a beverage pouring apparatus comprises(1) means for accepting and holding a bottle containing a beverage and(2) means for at least semi-automatically moving the bottle in anangular movement from a first position to a second position, wherein thefirst position is a position maintaining the beverage within the bottle,and the second position is a pouring position to cause a portion of thebeverage to pour into a serving receptacle.

The means for accepting and holding a bottle containing a beverage maybe any one of the containers 80, 81, 89, 180, 181, 280, 281, or 580.Alternatively, the means for accepting and holding a bottle containing abeverage may be any one the frames 480 or 680. Alternatively, the meansfor accepting and holding a bottle containing a beverage may be anyequivalent of the foregoing.

The means for at least semi-automatically moving the bottle may be anyone of these types of motors 70, 170,175, or 177. Alternatively, othertypes of motors that not electrical can be used

The terms and descriptions used above are set forth by way ofillustration only and are not meant as limitations. Those skilled in theart will recognize that many variations, enhancements and modificationsof the concepts described herein are possible without departing from theunderlying principles of the invention. For example, the subject matterdisclosed in any sentence or paragraph herein can be combined with thesubject matter of one or more of any other sentences or paragraphsherein as long as such combinations are not mutually exclusive orinoperable. The scope of the invention should be determined only by thefollowing claims and their equivalents.

1. A beverage dispenser comprising: a bottle holder configured to hold abottle of a liquid beverage; a motor connected to the bottle holder tocause the bottle holder to tilt; a pivot point which is between the topand bottom of said bottle holder driven by the motor; and a controllerconfigured to automatically control the bottle holder via the motor totilt by a predetermined angle for a predetermined time to bring thebottle into a pouring position to dispense a predetermined quantity ofthe liquid beverage by gravity from the bottle into a serving receptacleand to return the bottle to an upright position.
 2. A beverage dispenseraccording to claim 1, wherein the liquid beverage is wine, and theserving receptacle is a wine glass.
 3. A beverage dispenser according toclaim 1, wherein the liquid beverage is wine, and the serving receptacleis a large container to receive the entire bottle of wine.
 4. A beveragedispenser according to claim 1, wherein the bottle holder is acontainer.
 5. A beverage dispenser according to claim 4, wherein thecontainer is insulated.
 6. A beverage dispenser according to claim 1,wherein the bottle holder is a wired cage.
 7. A beverage dispenseraccording to claim 1, wherein the motor is an electric motor.
 8. Abeverage dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the controller isselected from the group consisting of a computer, a microcontroller, andcontrol circuitry.
 9. A beverage dispenser according to claim 1, whereinthe serving of the liquid is an amount of liquid to fill the servingreceptacle to a designated level.
 10. A beverage dispenser according toclaim 1, further comprising: a sensor configured to detect presence ofthe receptacle in a position to accept the beverage poured from thebottle; and wherein the controller is further programmed to dispense aserving of the beverage from the bottle into the serving receptacle whenthe receptacle is detected via the sensor.
 11. A beverage dispenseraccording to claim 10, wherein the sensor is selected from a groupconsisting of a weight sensor, a switch, a photo detector sensor, amotion sensor, a distance sensor, and a force sensor.
 12. A beveragedispenser according to claim 1, further comprising: a wireless receiverconfigured to accept signals from a remote device, and wherein thecontroller is connected to the wireless receiver to accept a commandfrom the remote device.
 13. A beverage dispenser according to claim 12,wherein the remote device is selected from a group consisting of ahandheld computer, a tablet, or a smart phone.
 14. A beverage dispenseraccording to claim 12, wherein the command is a command to dispense aserving of the beverage into the serving receptacle.
 15. A beveragedispenser according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensorconfigured to monitor the temperature of the bottle.
 16. A beveragedispenser according to claim 1, further comprising: a movable platformhaving a plurality of positions for a respective plurality of servingreceptacles; and a motor connected to the movable platform andconfigured to move the movable platform to position each of theplurality of serving receptacles into a position to accept a serving ofthe beverage poured from the bottle, and wherein the controller isconnected to the motor and further configured to move the movableplatform to position each of the plurality of serving receptacles into aposition to accept a serving of the beverage poured from the bottle. 17.A beverage dispenser according to claim 16, wherein the movable platformis a turntable.
 18. A method comprising: mechanically accepting andholding a bottle containing a beverage; and automatically controlling amotor for moving the bottle at a pivot point between the top and bottomof the bottle in an angular movement from a first position to a secondposition, wherein the first position is a position maintaining thebeverage within the bottle, and the second position is a pouringposition to cause a predetermined quantity of the beverage by gravity topour into a serving receptacle in which the predetermined quantity isdetermined by a preprogrammed angular movements over time.
 19. Abeverage pouring apparatus comprising: means for accepting and holding amulti-serving bottle containing a beverage; and means for controlling amotor automatically to move the bottle at a pivot point between the topand bottom of the bottle in an angular movement from a first position toa second position, wherein the first position is a position maintainingthe beverage within the bottle, and the second position is a pouringposition to cause a predetermined quantity, a serving, of the beverageby gravity to pour into a serving receptacle in which the predeterminedquantity is determined by a preprogrammed angular movements over time.